Take Me Home for Christmas

12

He was an idiot. He’d thought he could employ Sophia for a few months without finding it too much of a sacrifice, but that was a joke. She was in his house where he’d have to face her every time he left his office. And she was going to be there all day every day, except weekends.

Instead of writing, Ted spent the next hour cursing his own ridiculous response to recent events. So when his phone buzzed, it was a welcome distraction rather than an interruption. He couldn’t create a good story, not in his current frame of mind. He might as well answer.

But when caller ID showed it was his mother, he almost put down the phone. She’d told him not to get involved with Sophia, and he’d done exactly the opposite. Now he’d hear about it. But if he didn’t answer, she’d just keep trying until she got through. Why not break the news, if she hadn’t learned it yet, and get that over with?

He pushed the talk button. “Hello?”

“Tell me it’s not true,” she stated flatly.

She’d learned, all right. “Who told you?” he asked.

“I ran into Sharon DeBussi at the gas station. She said her granddaughter told her they were going to be okay because of you.”

“Everyone needs a hand now and then, Mom.” He pretended his actions were perfectly logical and defensible. But he’d lost a lot of confidence since Sophia had arrived. Hiring her had been a mistake. She couldn’t even type, which suddenly seemed more significant than it had when he was feeling sorry for her. He sincerely doubted a woman who’d been that rich could cook or clean, either. She’d stupidly settled for being nothing more than Skip’s arm candy. So what had he been thinking? It wasn’t his responsibility to save her from her own poor choices, but he’d jumped in despite that, and now he had to deal with the fallout.

“Why not let someone else give her a hand?” his mother asked.

“Because no one else stepped up!” At least that was true. He wouldn’t have offered her a job if he felt she’d had a better option—or even another option. “From what I could tell, our fellow Whiskey Creek residents just wanted to...pile on.”

“There’s a reason for that.”

“She inspires a great deal of resentment. I get it. But enough is enough.” That was true, too, and stating it so emphatically seemed to bolster him, if only slightly.

“I knew she’d draw you back into her web.”

His mother’s tone got on his nerves. She could be so smug. “Stop it. I’m not in her web. I’m trying to do something kind for another human being.”

“The same human being who broke your heart when she chose that bum over you?”

“Thanks for the reminder. But have you forgotten how hard it was when Dad left us?” he asked. “And you had child support, an education and a good job. What does she have?”

“The uncanny ability to prey on your sympathies, apparently.”

His mother wasn’t softening at all. She didn’t forgive easily as a general rule. She was too demanding of herself and others. Expecting her to forgive someone who’d wronged him? Forget it. They could fight between themselves, butt heads all the time, but she’d die defending him. That was what made their relationship so damn complicated. It was difficult to tell someone that devoted to quit meddling when the line between “meddling” and “loving” so often blurred.

“She didn’t come to me for the job, Mom. I offered it.”

“You’re kidding.”

“No.”

“Then you deserve exactly what you’re going to get!” A dial tone buzzed in his ear.

Ted couldn’t remember the last time his mother had hung up on him. She was really upset about this. But she had no right to be. He was an adult, for crying out loud. He could make his own decisions.

Slumping into his chair, he set the perpetual motion skier his editor had sent him for Christmas into action. He needed to get back to work. He couldn’t lose another day, not if he wanted to meet his deadline. But he was so distracted....

He stopped the skier as a new thought occurred to him. Was there any chance he could foist Sophia off on someone else, someone in Sacramento or the Bay Area?

That might be possible...if she had any marketable job skills.

He was still searching for a way out when a pleasant aroma began to waft into the room. Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply, trying to decide what Sophia was baking. Cookies? A cake? Muffins?

He didn’t have to wonder long. A few seconds later, he heard a bump against his office door and swiveled around to see her standing on the other side, holding a plate and a glass of milk. She must’ve used her knee to hit the door because she didn’t have a free hand.

When he drew close enough to see what was on the plate, he realized she’d brought him some banana bread. It was an eternity since he’d had anything like that. He took his mother to Just Like Mom’s almost every Sunday, and the meals he got there were always good. But he couldn’t remember the last time he’d had banana bread, let alone smelled it baking.

He doubted Sophia could’ve brought him anything he’d find more appealing...at least not in the realm of food.

“I don’t want to interrupt,” she said. “I just thought you might enjoy a midmorning pick-me-up since you didn’t have much for breakfast.”

Her tentative smile and the way she hung back to ascertain his response reminded him of an animal that was eager for affection but feared it would be kicked instead. She’d never had that haunted look in her eyes when he’d been part of her life. He’d sensed the change in her at the church, too, during that meeting with Skip’s investors. She no longer knew what she could count on, what kind of response she’d get—from anyone.

“Smells good,” he said.

That was the positive sign she’d been waiting for. Her smile relaxed as he held the door so she could come in, and she put his lunch on the desk where he’d told her she should leave it.

“It’ll be here whenever you’re ready. I’ll get the plate later.”

She scooted out of the room so fast he didn’t have a chance to say anything except thanks before she closed the door. But once she was gone he wasted no time in trying what she’d made.

The sweet bread, slathered in butter, nearly melted in his mouth. He groaned as he downed both slices and wished she’d brought him the whole loaf.

His cell phone buzzed as he swallowed the last bite. It was a text message—from Eve.

How’s she doing?

Better, he wrote back and went down to the kitchen for more.

By the time Sophia finished cleaning two of Ted’s four bathrooms, she was tired even though it wasn’t quite noon. It’d been a while since she’d engaged in such strenuous activity. She’d never scoured a sunken bath—especially as large as the one he had off his bedroom. Her showers and baths were big and fancy, too, in a more elegant way, but Marta had handled keeping them clean.

At least she liked being busy. Maybe with some real effort and elbow grease, she’d be able to prove herself. This afternoon she’d take a few minutes and borrow that laptop he had on the desk in his office so she could search the internet for tips on how to keep a house clean and organized. She could even look up various recipes for healthy meals.

Determined to give her new position everything she had, to convince Ted he was wrong about her abilities, she returned to the kitchen. It was time to start lunch. After that, she’d clean the laundry room and do the laundry. From what she’d seen in Ted’s bedroom, he didn’t have a lot of dirty clothes, but some of his slacks and shirts would need ironing. And there was a far better way to organize his closet. She’d learned that from the specialist who’d come to organize hers.

She hoped he wouldn’t mind if she changed things around.... He’d given her so little direction. She was supposed to cook and clean, but he hadn’t told her specifically what he’d like cooked or what he’d like cleaned. She figured she’d just do the best she could, and if he disapproved of something, he’d have to let her know.

She rolled her eyes as she recalled his obvious disappointment at her typing skills. He certainly had no trouble being direct.

Grabbing a cookbook from a shelf near the pantry, she carried it to the kitchen table and sat down to pore through the recipes. She almost didn’t notice that the loaf of banana bread was nearly gone, but when the small chunk that was left caught her eye, she couldn’t help feeling vindicated. He’d liked it. He hadn’t said anything to her, but the proof was right there. He’d eaten enough for five people.

Maybe she’d be that lucky with his lunch....

The picture of an almond-and-berry salad with poppy-seed dressing caught her eye as she turned the pages. That looked healthy and delicious, which were the two stipulations he’d given her so far. She’d make the salad for lunch. For dinner she’d do a savory soup. It was growing so chilly in the evenings that a warm bowl of broccoli-cheddar served with sourdough bread might be perfect. Again, it was healthy, so she should be on track there. She just hoped he liked broccoli....

She considered asking him. She had to interrupt him anyway, to see if she could go to the grocery store for ingredients. But before she could make it out of the kitchen, the doorbell rang.

Figuring it was her job to answer—the whole point of having a housekeeper was to allow Ted more time to write—she hurried up the stairs and nearly bumped into him on the landing.

“Oh, did you want to get it?” she asked.

He lifted his hands. “Sorry. Force of habit.”

“So greeting any visitors while you’re working would be my job?”

“That’s right.”

“Understood.” She reached for the handle. “Are you expecting anyone?”

“No. Like I said, I don’t get many visitors during the day.” His tone confirmed that he had no idea who it might be.

She opened the door to find the answer to that question: Chief Stacy was standing on the front stoop.

Recalling their exchange last night, and how unpleasant that had been, Sophia stood rigidly as he looked her up and down.

“So it’s true,” he said.

She felt her pulse kick into a higher gear. “What’s true?”

“Ted hired you.” He shook his head. “Some people never learn.”

Ted, hidden by the door, pulled it from her grasp and, nudging her off to one side, replaced her in the opening. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he asked.

“You, of all people, should know she can’t be trusted.”

A muscle flexed in Ted’s cheek, but instead of responding, he glanced in her direction. “You can go back to work.”

She knew she should do exactly that. He was her boss. But the anger she’d felt at Just Like Mom’s welled up again. Was Stacy here to sabotage her first break since the night Skip had disappeared from their yacht?

“If he’s here to complain about me, he can’t claim I owe him anything,” she said. “From what he told Eve when he was at the house on Friday, he invested $5,000 with Skip. But he took items worth at least that much from my house. Maybe I can’t pay back all the investors, but he should be satisfied.”

“You don’t know anything,” Stacy said.

Ted didn’t even look at him. “I’ll handle this,” he told Sophia.

Would he give her the benefit of the doubt, no matter what Stacy had to say? Or was she crazy for even trying to keep this job?

Part of her said she was crazy—the same part that suggested she walk out before he could fire her. But if she did that...then what? She’d go home to a stripped-down house with little food and no money—and possibly fall back into the terrible depression that had so recently taken control.

That would be the worst thing that could happen, for her and Alexa. She was afraid she wouldn’t be able to pull out of another nosedive like the last one. She hadn’t been drinking for just that reason—because she couldn’t afford to take the risk. She had to do everything in her power to avoid depression, even if that meant trusting Ted—a man she’d once scorned—to somehow see the best in her.

“I have to go to the grocery store,” she mumbled. “Maybe now would be a good time.”

Ted pulled a wad of bills from his pocket. After peeling off two hundreds, he handed her the money and said to get whatever she needed.

“You sure she’ll come back with the groceries?” Stacy quipped.

Difficult though it was, Sophia managed to ignore him. He was trying to provoke her.

“Thanks,” she told Ted. Then she retrieved her purse, shoved the money inside and slipped past both of them. She was eager for a few moments of freedom, a few moments when she wasn’t worrying about whether she was cleaning the right thing or cooking the right thing or if she’d only end up disappointing Ted like she had with her typing.

She could feel Chief Stacy’s gaze follow her all the way to her car. But then he disappeared inside the house and she drove off.

“What can I do for you?” Ted asked as Stacy took a seat opposite him in the living room.

The police chief pursed his lips and gazed around Ted’s house. “This is kind of different, isn’t it?”

He obviously didn’t approve. “You came to see my house?”

“No, I came to talk about Sophia.”

“With me?” Ted brought a hand to his chest. “Why?”

“I’m thinking you might be able to help. She owes me money—like she does a lot of other people.”

How could he help that? “I can’t garnishee her wages, not unless you get a judgment against her and go through the proper channels. And why would you waste your time? I’m guessing she’ll be forced to file for bankruptcy. She can’t make enough money to pay anyone. You’re lucky you came out of this as well as you did.”

“As well as I did?” Stacy repeated. “I’ve got more skin in the game than you realize.”

“How’s that? Was Eve wrong about the amount you invested? Or don’t you think the jewelry and other stuff you took from Sophia’s house has much value?”

“Neither. I’ve been seeing Pam Swank for the past four months. And I don’t mind telling you that we’re getting pretty serious.”

How did this relate? “Who’s Pam Swank?”

“Lives in Jackson. You don’t know her?”

“Never met her.”

“She invested, too—to the tune of a quarter million dollars. Everything she inherited when her parents died a year ago.”

Ted flinched at the size of her loss. “That’s really unfortunate. How’d she meet Skip?”

“Has family in town. Knows most everyone.”

“So she believed all the stories she was hearing about making a huge return and stepped up.”

“Skip told her he could double her money within a year. That gigantic house of his convinced her that he knew what he was talking about. So she signed it all over.”

Ted was beginning to understand Stacy’s enmity toward Sophia. He was talking about a quarter of a million dollars he would’ve had access to if and when he married Pam. The police chief felt that Skip, and by extension Sophia, had robbed him of a nice chunk of change his potential new wife would presumably share with him.

“Skip was a bastard,” Ted said. “We can agree on that. I feel sorry for everyone who got hurt by him. But...the FBI looked into Sophia’s culpability and found no indication that she was involved. After seeing how devastated she’s been, you must know there’s nothing she can do for you.”

Stacy leaned forward. “I’m not so sure about that. A man doesn’t walk off and leave a gorgeous woman like that behind.” He lowered his voice even though there was no one in the house to overhear them. “Skip once told me she gave the best head a guy could imagine.” His laugh took on a lascivious edge. “Doesn’t it make you hard just to think of it?”

Ted was tempted to throw Stacy out of his house. But first he wanted to find out what had brought him over in the first place. He still didn’t understand. “More proof that Skip was a prick. What kind of man speaks so crudely of his own wife?”

“I agree, but that boy liked to brag. Remember what he’d make her do every Fourth? How he’d insist she ride on top of that damn float dressed in some skimpy evening gown just to show the rest of us what we were missing? He would’ve put her in a bikini if he could’ve gotten away with it.”

Ted remembered, all right. When he’d bothered to attend the parade, he’d tried to ignore the spectacle she made, but it hadn’t been easy when she wore such revealing clothes. “That was his idea?”

“It wasn’t hers. I heard them arguing about it once, right before the parade was supposed to start. She said it was too embarrassing, begged him not to make her do it, but he wasn’t about to let her off the hook. Making us envious was way too much fun.”

That Skip had treated Sophia like a prize cow infuriated Ted. But it was none of his business. He had to remind himself of that—again. “She was stupid to ever get with him.”

“Rich as he was? I don’t know if you could call it stupid or calculated, but it certainly came at a price.” Acting as if he had all the answers, Stacy rocked back. “Skip dictated her every move. She came up to me once on the street, said she wanted to file a police report. She looked fine to me so I asked her what was going on, but before I could get an answer, Skip swerved to a stop in front of us and demanded she get in.” He chuckled. “You should’ve seen her jump. She didn’t even say goodbye, she was in such a hurry to climb into that car.”

Ted had heard his friends talk about various bumps and bruises. They said she always had a good excuse for the injuries, but...there’d been speculation that maybe Skip was to blame. “Any idea what she wanted to report?”

“Who knows? He was probably trying to put a lid on her spending or something,” he said with a chuckle. “The point is...she knew he was boss. My wife? She was the exact opposite—so damn difficult. She’s even worse now that we’re not married.” He scratched his neck. “Man, am I glad to be rid of her.”

Ted could only imagine how happy she was to be rid of him, too.

“Anyway,” Stacy continued, “I can’t believe Skip would give up a woman like Sophia. Beautiful. According to him, a dream in bed. Obedient.” He ticked these things off on his stubby fingers. “So I suspect that when he decided to disappear, he had a plan that included her.”

“An interesting hypothesis. Considering that it’s obvious he tried to abandon her.”

“He couldn’t tell her what he was up to, not without worrying that she’d give him away if the police pushed hard enough. You understand that, don’t you?”

Ted was losing patience. He doubted Skip had any kind of plan other than to escape with as much money as possible—at the expense of those he’d cheated and abandoned. He’d even robbed his parents. That didn’t suggest he had any hope of reconnecting with his past. In Ted’s opinion, he was kissing it all goodbye.

“What are you getting at, Chief? Why are you here?”

“I believe Mr. DeBussi was heading to some remote corner of the world where he could change his identity and set himself up before sending for her and the kid.”

“And how was she supposed to get by in the meantime?”

“There must be some money for her somewhere. She just needs to find it. And when she does, those of us who’ve been hurt should be able to collect our share.”

“With your girlfriend at the front of the line.”

“Why not? No one else lost as much as she did.”

“That we know of.”

“That we know of,” he agreed.

“So you’re hoping I’ll keep an eye on her in case she stumbles across the key to a safe deposit box filled with currency?”

“Exactly. I don’t mind telling you that Pam’s beside herself over losing all that money. Absolutely inconsolable. I’d like to help her, and the others, if I can.”

Ted suspected the person he most wanted to help was himself. “And what about Sophia’s well-being?”

“Far as I’m concerned, she’s had her taste of the good life. That party’s over. Now she gets to work for a living like the rest of us. She’s finally been put in her place, right? And I can promise you, you’re not the only one who’s been waiting for it.”

“How do you know what I’ve been waiting for?” Ted asked. It wasn’t as if he and Stacy had ever been friends. There was a decade between them; they didn’t know each other all that well.

“It’s never been a secret how you feel about Sophia, Ted. Six months ago, you quit the task force the mayor and I organized to clean up the mine tailings the moment she joined.”

“I was on a tight deadline, and you had enough people.”

“Come on—you didn’t want to work with her. And I don’t blame you. I told you Pam has family in town.”

“Yes...”

“Well, she’s Scott Harris’s aunt.” He grew somber, as if Scott had just died yesterday. “You remember what she did to him.”

“I remember what he did.”

“Oh, stop pretending.” Stacy adjusted his gun so it wouldn’t cut into his stomach. “He never would’ve gotten behind the wheel if not for her. She caused the death of the best athlete ever to come through Eureka High. His entire family hates her, and I can see why.”

That argument could certainly be made; Ted had made it once or twice himself. But Chief Stacy’s sudden reversal bothered him. When Sophia had joined the mine tailings task force, he’d been her most ardent supporter. He was switching sides now because it allowed him to press for his girlfriend’s money. “Sophia’s had her share of detractors over the years, but I didn’t know you were one of them.”

Because he hadn’t been, not until now. The police chief had kissed Skip’s ass at every opportunity. Sophia’s, too. He’d been in awe of their money and the power that money gave them.

“If she eventually does the right thing, I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” Stacy came to his feet. “I’ll let you return to work. I wanted to see if you’d keep an eye on her for the rest of us, now that you’re aware of what’s at stake. Since you’ll be seeing her every day, you’ll probably be the first to know if she comes into some money.”

Ted followed him to the door. “And you think I’d tell you, just because you came out here and asked me to?”

Stacy turned around. “A lot of innocent people have lost money. You’d be a hero if you could get even some of it back. Why wouldn’t you want to do that? You have no loyalty to Sophia, no more reason to like her than the Harrises do.”

“I hired her, didn’t I?”

“I assumed the idea of her scrubbing your toilets appealed to you. That you enjoy having the upper hand, for a change.”

Ted scowled. “It has nothing to do with being so petty.”

“Then what’s going on?” Stacy narrowed his eyes, obviously reassessing the situation. “You can’t be making a play for her, not after what she did to you....”

“No.” Ted denied it immediately and, possibly, too emphatically.

“Then you want to get in her pants? Make her pay on her back? That’s between the two of you. I’m just looking to recover what I can of Pam’s money.”

“Wait.” Ted got him to hold up. “For the record, I’m not trying to punish her. I’m not still in love with her. And I can find plenty of other women to sleep with. I need a housekeeper. It’s that simple.”

“Sure it is,” Stacy said and laughed as he walked out the door.